Following a long season which will culminate with no playoff hockey for both franchises, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens face off one last time to close out the 2011-12 campaign.
This is the sixth and final meeting between the original six rivals. The Leafs lead the way in the season series, taking three of five from the Habs. Their most recent victory was a 3-1 win on Mar. 3 in Montreal which marked Randy Carlyle’s first game behind the Toronto bench.
Saturday’s meeting marks the fourth time in five years that the Habs and Leafs have played each other in the season finale. Montreal holds the edge in season-ending meetings against Toronto, posting a 2-1-1 record during that stretch.
Both the Habs and Leafs are set to miss out on the post-season this year. For Toronto, this is their seventh-straight year without playoff hockey, now the longest drought in the NHL because the Florida Panthers clinched a post-season spot to put an end to their ten-year streak of futility. For the Canadiens, this marks the first time in five years that the most winningest team in hockey history will miss out on the post-season after a year which has seen the club fire their head coach, general manager and trade a player in the middle of a game.
The focus in both markets turns to the 2012 NHL Draft in Pittsburgh and how to build for the future and right the wrongs from this season. The league is set to hold the draft lottery on Tuesday, deciding the selection order for the teams that have missed the post-season. Entering action on Saturday, Montreal has the third-worst record in the league and have a 14.2 percent chance of winning the lottery and moving up to a first overall pick.
Toronto still has a chance at the first overall pick as well, entering Saturday ranked 26th overall in the league with an 8.1 percent chance of winning the lottery and selecting first overall. That could change drastically with a win against the Habs, due to Toronto being tied in points with the 25th overall Anaheim Ducks and within two points of teams such as Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Minnesota. Two points for the Leafs on Saturday could move them out of the top five and kill any chance at a first overall pick because the winner of the lottery can only move up four spots. A regulation loss keeps them in the top five with a chance at the first choice in the draft.
Lottery Race – Chances of winning lottery in brackets.
All teams play their final game of the season on Saturday
30. Columbus Blue Jackets – 63PTS (25.0%)
29. Edmonton Oilers – 74PTS (18.8%)
28. Montreal Canadiens – 76PTS (14.2%)
27. New York Islanders – 79PTS (10.7%)
26. Toronto Maple Leafs – 80PTS (8.1%)
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25. Anaheim Ducks – 80PTS (6.2%)
24. Minnesota Wild – 81PTS (4.7%)
23. Carolina Hurricanes – 82PTS (3.6%)
22. Tampa Bay Lightning – 82PTS (2.7%)
While his return could help the team win, it may also hurt their shot at a first overall pick as Mikhail Grabovski looks poised to return to the Leafs’ lineup. The 28-year old Belarussian has missed the last two games with a leg laceration, an injury he suffered on Mar. 31 against the Buffalo Sabres. Grabovski sustained a deep cut on his left knee from the skate of Brayden McNabb in that game, requiring between 20-30 stitches.
Grabovski has played well against the Habs this season, leading the team in goals (3) and tied with Dion Phaneuf for the team-lead in points (5). Two of Grabovski’s three goals this season against his former club came in the third period of the Leafs’ 3-1 win in Montreal on Mar. 3. The Belarussian forward earned first star of the game honours for his efforts in the victory and has scored the game winning goal in two of Toronto’s three victories against the Habs this season.
Toronto Maple Leafs Projected Lines (Subject to change)
Forwards
Matt Frattin – Tyler Bozak – Phil Kessel
Clarke MacArthur – Mikhail Grabovski – Joey Crabb
Tim Connolly – David Steckel – Mike Brown
Jay Rosehill – Matthew Lombardi – Colby Armstrong
Defence
Dion Phaneuf – Mike Komisarek
John-Michael Liles – Luke Schenn
Jake Gardiner – Cody Franson
Goalies
Ben Scrivens
Jonas Gustavsson
For more on tonight's Leafs vs. Habs season finale, including a detailed look at Montreal and their projected lines, check out my game day preview on the brand new, Leafs Nation Network.
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